Finalists Revealed in Chicago’s Eaglet Naming Contest. Voting Is Open

Patty Wetli | May 20, 2026, 3:42 pm

Chicago’s first eaglet in more than 100 years, seen poking out of its nest on the Southeast Side. (Chicago Park District)

Naming a baby is hard.

So many options: 3,271 to be exact, in the case of the number of submissions entered in the Chicago Park District’s contest to name the first eaglets born in city limits in a century.

A selection committee narrowed the choices down to three finalists, with voting now open to choose the winners.

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Without further ado, here are the names up for consideration:

— Migizi, which is the word for bald eagle in the Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) language.

— Marian, a nod to Marian Byrnes, Chicago environmentalist and civil rights activist with strong ties to the city’s Far South Side.

— Clawumet, a play on Calumet, the Southeast Side region where the eaglets’ nest is located.

More than 1,100 people participated in the contest, some from as far away as Australia, France and Argentina. Among the names also considered: Billy Soaragin, Phoenix and Hope.

Online voting is open through June 1 at 11:59 p.m. The top two vote-getters will be announced the first week of June, the Park District said.

The baby bald eagles won the city’s hearts when their arrival was announced at the beginning of May. Though eagles have been spotted throughout the city, no births of chicks have been recorded in more than 100 years. The nest had been monitored since February, and the first eaglet was confirmed April 28. The second eaglet was seen the day the Park District announced baby No. 1.